The Lord and the Lost Child
by Fada Soekja
Summary: An imaginative iteration of the meeting and growing friendship between Sesshomaru and Rin.
1. Chapter 1

**Note: This is my version of episode 35 of Inuyasha (and beyond...). Although the story and dialogue is somewhat similar in the beginning, it will branch off into my imagination later on. I am just trying my hand at writing, and all Inuyasha rights belong to the respective owners, no copyright intended. Cheers!  
**

1\. Descent: A Meeting of Strangers

The great forest was cast into deep scarlet in the late hours of day. It was nearly sunset and the leaves and soft blades of grass shone with the likeness of flames cast by the sun. The trees were still and no commotion came from the village that stood on the edge of the forest. Suddenly, in a deep thicket, there was a great whooshing sound and a cyclone of wind cast the grass and leaves into disarray. A great light filled the clearing and as it faded, it revealed a figure of great stature, proud, tall and silent. He was not a human, but clearly a demon. The markings of the dog were evident upon his smooth face and a Prussian blue moon, an heirloom of his heritage, shown upon his forehead. His garb was a white tunic with red chrysanthemum flower crests at the collar and sleeves, showing he was of royal birth. A great fur rested over his right shoulder. Upon his chest was a cuirass and attached to that, a spiked pauldron that covers his left shoulder. At his belt was a single sheathed sword. But despite all his glorious appearance, he was barely conscious and fell upon the grass where he alighted. In his eyes was the fiery red glow of his demonic power, aroused by his recent near death experience.

He had been weakened, attacked and nearly defeated by a foe he detested, his own brother. His sword, the Tenseiga, still pulsed softly in its sheath. Only because of this useless sword had he survived. It had not allowed him to die by his cursed half-brother's sword.

His name was Sesshomaru and he was the heir of the great dog demon that had once ruled the land. He was a full demon, although his half-brother, a half-demon named Inuyasha, defiled his family's name. He bitterly hated his father for allowing himself to have fallen for any human mortal like the mutt's mother. And to make it all worse, his father had left Inuyasha the great and powerful sword Tetsusaiga, while giving him the weakly Tenseiga. Sesshomaru, believing that Inuyasha could not possibly wield the true strength of the sword, had fought him for possession of it but in the end, Inuyasha had exacted the Wind Scar, a powerful technique that would have killed him if not for the Tenseiga.

Sesshomaru hated this defeat above all else. Consumed by rage, he curled up in the clearing and breathed deeply, allowing his wounds to slowly heal. He would not be able to regain his full strength for several days, after suffering so great a wound. He had been foolish to seek the Tetsusaiga like he had done, and now he had all but paid with his life. The fury continued to pulse within him as the sun sunk lower and lower. Yet as he began to cool off, Sesshomaru realized his presence in the forest had not gone entirely unnoticed. As no demon in their right mind would have come near the aura and terrible anger he was admitting at this moment, he wondered who the intruder might be. An unintelligent forest creature, perhaps, or…a human?

He tested the wind and caught the scent. Definitely human. The thought of Inuyasha welled inside him anew and his eyes reddened dangerously, the fire rekindling. He turned swiftly in the direction of the presence. Shuffling leaves and a broken twig could be heard just beyond the clearing. Sesshomaru dug his claws into the earth around him. He would not be compassionate towards any living thing that disturbed his recovery. Suddenly, out of the shadows behind a white oak tree stepped a young human child. She was dressed in a tattered kimono and had no shoes. So taken aback was Sesshomaru, having intended to kill any arrogant hunter that thought they might attack him in his weakened state, that he stared at her for several moments. She gasped upon seeing him and he lashed out, causing her to flee back behind the tree, only daring to peek around the trunk. Sesshomaru's claws flexed and his demon blood rose but he was not yet so ruthless to strike down such a young human girl, no matter his feelings towards humans. He allowed her to flee his wrath.


	2. Chapter 2

2\. A Bold Action

It was many hours later in the dead of night, after Sesshomaru had returned to his original form, that he heard again a soft scrabbling and rustling coming from the direction of the oak tree. Half in a weakened daze, half asleep in his recovery, Sesshomaru allowed himself to become conscious once more. He could easily sense the girl without opening an eye. She was lingering fearfully by the edge of the thicket. All at once, she poked her head out of the leaves from around the tree and walked boldly forward. Sesshomaru opened one threatening eye. The girl faltered for a second but then came on, carrying something in her hands. It was a bamboo flask of water. She left it a good three meters from him and quickly hurried off again but not before looking back from the trunk of the oak tree for a few moments.

Anger rose in Sesshomaru again. How dare such a lowly human girl present aide to him a great demon! It was ridiculous! Why had she done it? Did she pity him? It was the utmost disrespect! But no, he realized, breathing deeply again. This girl could have no possible sense of him and his place in this world. She had offered this token of aide out of a pure sense of compassion not of charity. The girl could never have considered mocking him. Little did he like to admit it, but he knew humans all too well and understood them against his will. But despite this, he could not fathom why a poor village girl would ever show compassion to him, a full-blooded demon. But he would deal with her later. If she came back again, he would make sure she didn't want to come back after that. He lay there, passing into a soft sleep.

In the morning, he awoke without haste, watching the sun, feeling the winds. He would not yet be well enough to travel that day. He was still in recovery, and the Tenseiga, although not shy about saving him from the brink of death, had given him all the grunt of the Wind Scar's blow besides. Even the strongest demon would need time. It was not unpleasant in the forest anyways. Sesshomaru might have enjoyed his stay, had it not been under such a strict watch. For without adieux, he smelled the scent of the child yet again, and this time, she was carrying food. He guessed she had lingered just beyond his thicket for most of the night and had now grown brave enough to approach him again. He closed his eyes as she drew near. Five meters away, then four, then three. She stopped by the flask of water and set a leaf, bearing a small fish and a few mushrooms upon it. A harsh feeling rose in Sesshomaru's throat as she turned to go.

"Mind your own business girl," he spat at her. "Your charity is wasted on me, I do not need human food."

The girl stopped and turned to gaze back at him in surprise. She did not speak, and a moment later, she left the thicket. Sesshomaru opened his eyes. He did not look at the food, but at the sky instead. Then he closed them again. He needed to rest.


	3. Chapter 3

1\. Strength Returning

He slept the day away and through the night. In the morning, he felt revived. Soon he would be able to travel without any lasting damage. He sat up a bit, but did not feel like moving just yet. The food the girl had presented from the day before was untouched. He scented the air but the girl's scent appeared to have gone cold. That meant she had not returned since last he saw her. Good, she had realized she was worthless to him. Now she would not come back. He rested his back against a tree, feeling out his body, his senses, his power. A few more hours and he could move on from this forest.

Suddenly he heard scuffles, the same scuffles he had heard before. He felt vaguely astonished that the girl would come again, now after a full day. But as she grew nearer, he noticed a difference about her. She was shuffling, as though she now had a limp and her breathing was ragged. She appeared in the clearing and saw him as he gazed upon the sky. Sesshomaru did not look at her. With a desperate look in her eyes, the girl stumbled forwards mere feet from him and held out a leaf of barley.

"No thank you," Sesshomaru said coolly. "I told you I do not need your help."

The girl lowered the leaf but stood there, staring up at him. She was favoring her left side, a large bruise was running down her left leg and her face was scratched, one eye swollen over.

"Where did you get those bruises?" Sesshomaru asked suddenly, surprising even himself. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he added as the girl looked taken aback.

He looked at her then, full on for the first time. The injuries were not those inflicted from toil, he could see, but from being hit, perhaps in a fight. His face betrayed no emotion. The girl stared into his eyes and then, quite unexpectedly, she began to laugh.

"What are you smiling at girl?" Sesshomaru asked, slightly irritated, but unwilling to stop her. "I simply asked a question. I don't care, I was merely curious."

But the girl didn't answer. She was smiling and, though her wounds must have pained her, she walked back out of the thicket with a straight back.

Sesshomaru sighed. She would be back again, doubtlessly. But perhaps he would be on his way before she returned. Something about her kind demeanor disturbed him. He didn't want to see her again or allow her to become attached to him.


	4. Chapter 4

1\. Resurrection

In a few hours, Sesshomaru was fit to travel. He stood and began to walk out of the clearing. The girl had not yet returned. It was better this way. He made his way through the forest, sensing A-Un nearby. Sure enough. He happened upon the great dragon beast in a field about a mile away. A-Un was resting and behind him, sitting on a great boulder was Jaken the Kappa, muttering to himself.

"Jaken," Sesshomaru said quietly. Jaken turned at once and beheld his master.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" he cried. "You've come back! Where were you Lord Sesshomaru? I thought you might be dead."

A stone collided with the side of Jaken's head. He fell to the ground with a cry. However, it was in that moment that, a long way off, from the direction he had just come, Seshomaru detected the scent of wolves.

"Blood. Blood and the smell of wolves," he said, pausing. They must have attacked that village. "I recognize this blood."

"Lord Sesshomaru?" Jaken cried but Sesshomaru was already walking back the way he had come.

He arrived back in the forest well after the battle, Jaken at his side. They found a path and walked along it for a while. Suddenly, Sesshomaru stopped. The body of a girl was lying upon the path. It was soaked with blood and bore the scent of wolves. Jaken, who had lagged, walked up quickly.

"What is that?" he asked, distastefully. "Shew, she's a gonner that's for sure. She must have been attacked by wolves. Look at the teeth markings." He glanced back at his master and saw a peculiar look on his face.

"Do you recognize this pathetic human?" he asked.

Sesshomaru didn't move for several minutes. Then he placed his hand on the hilt of the Tenseiga.

"What! What are you doing Sire?" Jaken squawked, stepping swiftly away.

Sesshomaru drew the sword and held it to his side. He observed the girl for a moment. Strange demonic creatures seemed to be crawling along her corpse. "Interesting. I can see them," he said softly, narrowing his eyes. "They are from the underworld. I will do another test."

"Another test! What are you doing Sire, what are you doing?"

Sesshomaru raised the sword over his head and swung it to kill the creatures that had been clawing at the girl's body. There was a flash of blue light and then stillness.

"Oh whoa!" Jaken exclaimed. Then he gasped as he saw Sesshomaru lift the small child onto his knee almost, it seemed, in concern.

There was silence and then Sesshomaru gave a sharp intake of breath. The girl was stirring. A moment later, she had opened her eyes and gazed into his own.

"She came back to life!" exclaimed Jaken. "Lord Sesshomaru, you resurrected that human girl with the power of the Tenseiga! Huh? Hello, Lord Sesshomaru?"

But at that moment, Sesshomaru had let the child on her own two feet and walked away, back to Ah-Un. Jaken and the resurrected girl stood staring after him.

"Lord Sesshomaru saving a human girl is surprising enough. But then again, more importantly, didn't Lord Sesshomaru say he was going to test the power of the Tenseiga once again? Th-th-that would mean I was cut down with no guarantee for survival! And to think I devoted myself to you all of these years!" he howled, starting to sob.

"Lord Sesshomaru, it's so unfair! Why did you do it? I don't understand it! Ah, huh?" The girl had suddenly run forwards. Jaken stared at her form as she followed Sesshomaru and gave a yelp.

"Lord Seshomaru, wait for me I'm coming!"

Sesshomaru ignored both of them. He was thinking about Tenseiga. He felt the sword still warm in its sheath. _Tensiega, you compelled me to save a human life today_. The Tenseiga felt with approval. How strange.


End file.
